Pezeshkian's BRICS meetings deliver strong message to Pakistan

NEW DELHI: While all eyes were on Chinese President Xi Jinping's first visit to India in seven years and Russian President Vladimir Putin's unprecedented three-day trip to India, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian's first visit to New Delhi in his current capacity, amid the ongoing conflict with the US, created considerable buzz.

The visible warmth between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Pezeshkian on all three days of the summit, as well as the Iranian President's meetings with various Indian religious leaders, signalled New Delhi's balanced approach to the region and the significance of Iran in India's regional calculus. Modi has been invited by Pezeshkian to visit Tehran. Following his meeting with the Iranian President, the PM wrote on X: "We talked about the India-Iran friendship. We believe that we should move forward with a long-term and win-win strategy."

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Iran can not only be a source of crude oil and gas for India, but can also serve as a counterweight to Pakistan and a gateway to Afghanistan, Central Asia and Russia.

Equally significant was the meeting between Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Pezeshkian, which could help lower tensions in the Gulf. The war had cast a shadow over BRICS in the run-up to the summit, and a joint statement appeared difficult at one point ahead of the summit.

As the New Delhi Declaration was issued following intense negotiations by the host, an understanding was reached between the UAE and Iran, with encouragement from other founding members of BRICS. Pezeshkian met the Abu Dhabi Crown Prince here on Saturday night, before the departure of the leader of the Gulf state.

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While the UAE has been infrequently targeted by Iran over the last three months, the two sides reportedly reached an understanding. The New Delhi meeting would help smoothen ties between the two neighbours, whose economic and security interests are intertwined. India played the role of a mediator between Abu Dhabi and Tehran.

The meeting between the Iranian President and leaders from Kashmir was equally significant as Iran's support to India on the Jammu and Kashmir issue is critical at the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation. The meeting delivered a strong message to Pakistan even as Islamabad tries to position itself as a mediator between the US and Tehran for a peace deal. Iran is engaged with Pakistan in conducting negotiations with the US, but its ties with India are historical and significant.